IBT Staff Reporter

Apple could double its iPhone sales if it ended its policy of exclusive contract with mobile service providers, according to analysts.

Rio de Janeiro's successful bid to host the Olympics in 2016 crowns Brazil's remarkable rise over the past decade from a near basket case to an economic and diplomatic heavyweight.

Rio de Janeiro won a resounding vote on Friday to stage the first Olympics in South America in 2016, rebuffing U.S. President Barack Obama, who had personally lobbied for his adopted hometown Chicago.

Finland's Nokia can continue to use its Ovi brand in Brazil for now, a court ruled on Friday, but the legal battle over its new services brand continues in the largest telecoms market in the Latin America.

Somewhere on Route 28 to the southwest of this Wyoming town, a series of roadside plaques commemorates the early American settlers who passed this way on the Oregon Trail in the mid-19th century.

Stanford University is looking to sell as much as $1 billion worth of investments including private equity investments, real estate and timberlands, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter.

A Delaware court dismissed two of eBay Inc's claims against classified website Craigslist Inc and its two biggest shareholders on Friday, but five key claims remain to be heard in an upcoming trial.

General Electric Co and Comcast Corp, working on a deal to spin off GE's NBC Universal, have valued it at $30 billion, including $9 billion of debt, a source close to the talks told Reuters on Friday.

The U.S. Treasury will soon finalize a plan to expand its incentives for mortgage companies to include short sales as a way to stem a rising tide of foreclosures, according to a Treasury spokeswoman.

If the stock market bulls are right, U.S. third-quarter corporate earnings could show revenue kicked into gear after some disappointing numbers last quarter, sustaining the rally.

Analysts have raised estimates for Apple in spite of poor economic signs, mainly due to their confidence in the strong momentum from iPhone and iPod sales.

Electronic readers could be the hottest gift this holiday season as a new crop of portable media devices begins to join iPods and other music players as must-have tech accessories.

An Israeli soldier held captive for the past three years by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas smiled briefly and looked healthy in a two-minute Hamas video handed over to Israel on Friday.

The Group of Seven rich nations is expected to issue its customary call for stable exchange rates on Saturday, but do nothing more specific to address concern a weak dollar could hurt European exports.

Electronic Arts on Friday released its soccer flagship FIFA 10, its latest game for Apple's iPhone and iPod touch, which costs $10 at the App store.

Private equity firm Blackstone Group is in talks to buy Anheuser-Busch InBev NV's theme parks, and a deal could be reached as early as next week, sources familiar with the situation said on Friday.

A television producer accused of trying to extort $2 million from talk show host David Letterman by revealing his sexual affairs pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted grand larceny on Friday.

U.S. House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank and other lawmakers on Friday urged regulators to delay the December 1 implementation of financial rules to enforce a ban on Internet gambling.

Pop star Lady Gaga said on Friday she and Kanye West decided jointly to cancel their Fame Kills tour, and she will embark on her own headlining concert series soon while West plans to drop out of the spotlight.

Labor costs at Ford Motor Co (F.N) are about $16 an hour higher in Canada than in the United States, the Canadian Auto Workers confirmed on Friday, but union said it needs guarantees on production levels before it agrees to concessions to level the field.

With its 14th week at the summit of Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart, the Black Eyed Peas' I Gotta Feeling matched Mariah Carey's 2005 hit We Belong Together for the longest No. 1 stay this decade.

U.S. employers unexpectedly cut more jobs in September than in August, underscoring the fragility of the economy's recovery from its worst recession in 70 years as businesses remain cautious about the future.

Chrysler Group LLC said on Friday it will idle production of its Jeep Wrangler SUV for a week starting Monday due to part shortages from an unidentified supplier.

Ireland seems likely to vote “Yes” this time in a referendum on the EU's Lisbon treaty on Friday.

Steve Martin may be one of the funniest guys on the planet. But when it comes to talking about the banjo, he is deadly serious. Eerily so.

Ally McBeal -- the quirky TV comedy whose mini-skirted neurotic star, nose-whistling lawyers and unisex bathrooms found a worldwide audience -- finally arrives in stores next week as a complete DVD series with all its original music intact.

Italy's main animal rights group has asked prosecutors to stop further screenings of Giuseppe Tornatore's new film Baaria because it features the gruesome slaughtering of a bull.

Stocks fell for the fourth straight day on Friday as weak jobs data gave more evidence the economic recovery would be less robust than expected.

A new documentary seeks to unravel the mystery of why billions of honey bees have been disappearing from hives across the United States, and concludes that the chief suspect is pesticides.